Premier-designate William Lai (賴清德) has named Taiwan Stock Exchange Corp (台灣證交所) chairman Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉) as the next vice premier and Democratic Progressive Party Deputy Secretary-General Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) as the next Cabinet secretary-general, the Executive Yuan said yesterday.
All incumbent ministers without portfolio will stay on, except for Chen Tain-jy (陳添枝), who serves concurrently as National Development Council minister, Cabinet spokesman Hsu Kuo-yung (徐國勇) said.
Cabinet Secretary-General Chen Mei-ling (陳美伶) is to take over both positions from Chen Tain-jy, said Hsu, who confirmed that he would stay on as Cabinet spokesman.
Photo: CNA
Ill-gotten Party Assets Settlement Committee Chairman Wellington Koo (顧立雄) is to become chairman of the Financial Supervisory Commission, Hsu said.
Responding to criticism that Koo does not have a financial background, Hsu said that Koo, as a lawyer, was trained in financial law and has the legal expertise required in overseeing financial bodies.
Former FSC chairman Sean Chen and former minister of finance Yen Ching-chang (顏慶章) were also legal experts before they became financial chiefs, so Koo’s appointment should be acceptable, Hsu said.
Photo: CNA
All other appointments are to be announced today after Lai bids farewell to the Tainan City Government and council, Hsu said.
The new Cabinet is to be sworn in on Friday and an extraordinary Executive Yuan meeting is to be convened immediately, he said.
“Government management is a succession of works, and there are different missions in each stage. I will continue the policies unfinished by Premier Lin Chuan (林全) and employ the pragmatic ‘Tainan spirit’ to lead a new way,” Hsu quoted Lai as saying.
Photo: Lee Hsin-fang, Taipei Times
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS